My invention relates to a pad clamp for closing off the water port in an engine cylinder head or block. Internal combustion engine cylinder heads and particularly diesel engine cylinder heads are complex castings possessing numerous internal coolant fuel injector and exhaust gas passages. In diesel engines higher pressures and temperatures are required for proper combustion of the fuel and because of these higher pressures, cracks may develop in the walls which separate the numerous internal passages which can cause a detrimental intermixing of coolant fluid, exhaust gases and so forth.
The cylinder head or block can be tested for leaks by removing the head or block from the engine and sealing off the ports which connect the internal coolant passages with the other passages in the engine block, and subjecting the cylinder head passages to compressed air or other fluid under pressure. By applying a soap or other suitable solution to the cylinder head or part to be tested, it is then possible to locate any cracks or leaks between the coolant passages and other passages.
A major problem in the pressure testing of engine cylinder head or block is that the heads come in many different sizes with numerous different configurations of coolant and other passages, thus requiring a variety of complicated plates, plugs, pads and clamps to seal the parts to be tested.
The need for the pad clamp arrangement of my invention is due to the peculiar location and positioning of the water ports on some engine heads in such a way as to render impossible the clamping of the pad tightly in such a way as to render impossible the clamping of the pad tightly in place with the use of currently-used types of pad clamps.
In my invention a slotted vertical mounting member is bolted by a stud bolt on an end or side wall of the head and is so positioned that the clamp arm supported thereby may be extended to a position over the water port where a triple lead screw of the clamp arm is over the center of the pad which closes the water port. The clamp arm extends parallel to the top wall of the engine head. The clamp arm has a horizontal slot and by virtue of this slot the arm is mounted on the upper end of the slotted vertical member and is rotatably and slidably mounted on the vertical member so that the end of the clamp iron arm may be positioned in any location of a half circle and thus reach a water port at any place within said half circle. The end of the clamp arm carries a vertical triple lead screw which when positioned over the water port may engage and clamp the pad in a position closing the water port and permitting the testing to be made.
The engine cylinder head port closure pad clamp of U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,221 issued Aug. 3, 1982, to Silvey, is of no use unless there is a means on the surface wherein the water port is formed so that the port closure means can be mounted on that surface. Where there is no such means the port closure pad clamp is without utility.
My invention provides a means whereby the clamp device of my invention may be mounted on a side wall or end wall where the pivoted and slidable arm may extend over the surface where the port is formed and may close a port located at any place within a half circle.
It is an object of my invention to provide a pad clamp closure means which may be mounted on a side or end wall of the cylinder head, or other part to be tested, with a clamp arm extending over the horizontal wall in which the water port is located, the end thereof carrying the screw for tightening the closure pad in place may be used for closing a port, positioned anywhere within a relatively large half circle area on the surface in which the water port is located.